I use a water filled alum foil pan to keep the coals to one side.
I don’t know that I need a charcoal basket, but I am a sucker for new things.
Anyone use these, either on one side or both?
They worth the $20.
Or should I stop being enticed by new things?
by PYG42
45 Comments
I have some and they’re pretty awesome.
Not mandatory but extremely useful. Having a combo of a slow n sear deluxe and a vortex was a game changer for me.
The baskets are a great way to control the amount of charcoal you use. However with my Weber 22 kettle I only use 1 at a time. 2 baskets generate too much heat.
I use them (either 1 or 2) basically every time I grill. Saves a bunch of charcoal when you’re not cooking for a crowd, and makes putting the leftovers back in the chimney much easier.
I use bricks
I only use my baskets when I’m using my rotisserie to get two hot zones. Otherwise I use my slow n sear. Love the baskets but I think the slow n sear is better.
I use em to smoke meats. Off to the side with wood chunks (not chips) with a smaller amount of coal and an aluminum tray of water in the middle. I usually do salmon this way.
I have some but always have trouble keeping them going to the temp I want. Are they better used with briquettes maybe? I use lump mostly
For a thick steak I want to sear and move off coals to finish, yay! For burgers and dogs, nay! They have their uses but I certainly don’t use baskets every time I cook on charcoal
I LOVE my baskets!
They have benefits for sure depending on what you are cooking.
I have a slow n sear deluxe and have to admit I love it. It lets you stack coals right up under the gate and really absolutely blast stuff to get the extra dark, semi charred sear that I like. It’s also super easy to fill er up with some charcoal and wood, put a few lit ones in the end, and smoke a pork butt for 9 hours, usually I have to fill it back up after 7ish hours. It also seems to use charcoal much more efficiently, I close my vents when I’m done and dump lit coals on top of whatever’s leftover, one chimney is more than enough for all my grilling sessions.
In summary 10/10 performance. Definitely overpriced as hell but very well built and functionally perfect.
Edit: also makes 2 zone idiot proof. Blast the fuck out of your chicken/steak/pork chop to your desired sear, then plop on the cold side, put on the lid, and temp check til it hits temp. Made the best pork chops of my life a couple weeks ago this way.
I have a Performer with propane ignition, so using one or two of these is pretty much required because I have to have the basket in the middle to light, then, 99% of the time, it gets moved to the side for cooking.
I think they’re great, they keep the fire together and adding more fuel is easy because you don’t have to worry about it rolling down the pile, and, if I need more searing area or whatever, I can use tongs to move the fire around.
The Weber ones are cheaper, but rust through after a few seasons. I bought stainless steel ones a few years ago and they’re still looking great.
I had some and they eventually fell apart. Stopped using them and haven’t looked back.
I have some, and love them. Saves charcoal and allows me to control the hot zone.
Very useful to have but don’t have to if you don’t want to .
I have switched to using fire bricks instead of the baskets
I keep them in my grill all the time. It allows me to set a sear zone, a regular cook zone in the middle and then a cool zone at the other end. For rotisserie I can set to either side and a drip pan in the middle.
I use them when I add my rotisserie attachment. Heat on each side. Water pan in the center, chickens rotating above the water. Works great
They have their purposes, I rarely use mine since buying a slow n sear.
They are useful and I use mine regularly. I’d also recommend buy a few fire bricks.
I use the side baskets when I’m using the rotisserie in my Weber Master Touch. The hinged ports on the grate make it real easy to add more charcoal.
I use them 99.9% of the time. Super handy.
Nope, I just pile mine up on one side.
Not “necessary,” but for $20, why not? I have these, as well as a slow ‘n sear, and use them both for different purposes. Sometimes, I’ll still run a snake for long cooks and not use either. Ultimately, they’re just toys, and I’m sure some people don’t even use anything.
Mostly nay- occasionally yea
Get’em!
Your coals will last longer, and clean-up is even easier afterward.
I used them a lot with my Weber kettle. They have their place in the toolkit
Yeaaah
I think they’re too small so I took em apart and riveted them together to get like a 40% basket. I use it every time.
https://i.imgur.com/COEdoEd.jpeg
I use them, they give more options for grilling. Plus they are great for smoking
I feel like it would be cleaner on the kettle. Im still getting use to mine. Had my first lump charcoal experience last week and it was less than desirable
I made a budget SNS combining two of those baskets. Theres videos all over youtube. Only cost a few bucks for the screws/washers.
Vortex all day
absolutely yay!
I prefer my coals on one side only, but do what works for you. I got a kit from SNS Grills that I like for smoking. It has a water trough right next to the coal bin and it replaces the top grill with one that lifts up above the coals for easy access to manage the fire.
Heck yeah, but you’re doing great.
They came with my Performer. They are used sometimes, not always
I use mine about half of the time. It’s nice just to hold the charcoal a little tighter. Sometimes I put both on one side, and sometimes one on each side.
Yeah yea yea
They can be great help in controlling a fire even just one
I don’t always used them to cook off set but theyre good to keep around
When using my SnS, I’ll start with a full basket and some hot coals on it (with wood). Slowly cooking tri tip and thick steaks is pretty easy with it. After they are done smoking, I get the fire up to searing temp and give it a nice sear.
After about 2 hours, I still have at least half the basket of coal left.
I use them enough that I’ve had to replace them twice over 20 years.
Definitely yay. I love em. Very useful. The only times I don’t use is when I’m cooking a pile of something. Then I use a three zone pattern
I use them but instead of filling them i just use it as a barrier to keep the coals all piled evenly on one side.
I have a slow n sear deluxe, and i use it for searing on stakes. For some reason (I’m sure there’s so actual reason to it), it is like at least 2x times more effective for more versus putting the coals on one side of my grill.
The coals in my SnS basket are roaring hot and are way more controlled.